Rock Lobster frame Questions
- Thread starter bjellys
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I’ve got one - and owned one back in the day
Just need to finish it off - everything Carl has written is true - this NTI version was a great race entry frame for Joe Soap (nothing more) and made in Taiwan
Far more in the Link in signature below mostly from Carl
Or to cut to the chase and miss my ramblings -> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=378024&start=10
Just need to finish it off - everything Carl has written is true - this NTI version was a great race entry frame for Joe Soap (nothing more) and made in Taiwan
Far more in the Link in signature below mostly from Carl
Or to cut to the chase and miss my ramblings -> viewtopic.php?f=6&t=378024&start=10
Retro Spud":h0h4o5r3 said:
I just thought about the one i had bitd, and it dawed on me, that this was a replacement build for me, Whilst i never managed to get the pink Zinn bitd, i did buy a blue centaur Zinn, it was too short in the reach and i couldnt bring myself to swop out the original stem, so like a fool i sold the Zinn, but the person who i sold it too bitd was Gio, who years later only hook up because of this place and our love for Zinn. (christ nearly 30 years has passed... :shock: )
The Lobster, also blue was a build really to see what they were like as a retail alternative to Bontrager which i was always struggling to get.
Suffice to say, they ended up just as hard to get, always sold out. They really do ride well, i certainly woulndt skimp on spec, im confident as a good alround hard ass hardtail, it will do it all, and well, the geometry slightly more suited to our conditions, really did its job well.
Then Merlin took them off NTI, and used the name as there in house brand, all generic sourced in the far east, multiple frame options and types with unbelievable build specs for the money. And so began the era of the in-house shop brand names. (you know the story the rest is history.
the NTI-lobster,
But look close, and whilst the definate Bontrager ethos is there the geometry im sure really is tweaked just enough for UK riding conditions.
by the time Merlin took them on, it really was just a selection of frames picked out from the far east, a range of options to suit different budgets on a large scale.
Its an intersting story of the brand when you think of it.
Re:
Merlin were very good at it though, they realised the value attached to a name, there own name served them well with a range of bikes, but buying the rights to the UK name of Rock Lobster allowed them to create there premium range, leaning on the Quality Paul Sadoff builds in the US as a custom frame builder of high end Mountian bikes.
Took a heap load of UK sales away from the Players like Trek and Cannondale, it had a brand name and in most cases a slighty higher spec for the money. Of course they were BIG spend with magazine advertising (in some cases four pages in MBUK), and what followed came great reviews, which always helped...
Merlin were very good at it though, they realised the value attached to a name, there own name served them well with a range of bikes, but buying the rights to the UK name of Rock Lobster allowed them to create there premium range, leaning on the Quality Paul Sadoff builds in the US as a custom frame builder of high end Mountian bikes.
Took a heap load of UK sales away from the Players like Trek and Cannondale, it had a brand name and in most cases a slighty higher spec for the money. Of course they were BIG spend with magazine advertising (in some cases four pages in MBUK), and what followed came great reviews, which always helped...
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bjellys":oxpz1a8k said:
I wish you every success- but if you ever want to off load the frame please do let me know I class them as special if only because they take me back to the 1990’s. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=378024&start=10#p2809186
Anyway - on with the build !
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Yes special indeed. I have one in my signature. Very special that one.
